My confession to police was under duress: Sreesanth

Banned fast bowler S. Sreesanth claimed innocence in a letter to the BCCI's disciplinary Committee and said his confession to Police in the spot-fixing saga was under duress.

"Under the threat of arrest of my close relatives a statement was forcibly taken in the manner directed by the police," said Sreesanth, who was banned for life after being found guilty of spot-fixing in the IPL in an internal inquiry conducted by the Board's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit chief Ravi Sawani.

"There is no confusion recorded by me willingly to the police. The police have mentally and physically harassed me and obtained signed statements. The conclusion arrived at by the Commissioner of Enquiry that I have committed offences... is based on conjectures, guesses, inferences, and inadmissible police reports" Sreesanth said in the letter which was submitted to the Disciplinary Committee just before the hearing.

"The police have not intercepted any conversation between me and others in support of the wild and fantastic charges levelled against me which has put me into injustice and prejudice as I had no opportunity to refute them," said the 30-year-old pacer.

Sreesanth said it is too "distressing" for him because there is no concrete evidence against him. "As regards seeking, accepting, offering or agreeing to accept any bribe there is no trace of evidence pointing out to any such incident at all," the Kerela pacer said.

"As regards the charges I respectfully beg to submit that all of them as has been conceded in the report itself are based on media reports and not any concrete and reliable evidence," he said.

BCCI treasurer and secretary of HCA, Aniruddh Chaudhary, made it clear that his state association would not make any plea to the board to revoke the ban on Ajit Chandila in relation to the IPL spot-fixing controversy.

BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur reiterated that there was no way back for Sreesanth, Ankit Chavan and Ajit Chandila because the BCCI would not lift the penalties imposed on them in relation to the IPL spot-fixing controversy.